IBM, Bell Atlantic promote system linking PCs and TVs

Posted: Wednesday, February 03, 1999

By DAVID E. KALISHAP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Thousands of East Coast home buyers will have the option of owning houses already installed with the latest computer-networking technology under an alliance announced Tuesday between IBM and Bell Atlantic.

The companies will work with home builders to install the equipment, which lets different computers access the Internet through one account, exchange files and share the same VCR.

The equipment costs home buyers from $1,000 to $10,000. IBM's most expensive version, which it calls a "home management system," enables people to operate all their electronics, from security systems to kitchen appliances, using a universal remote control.

Bell Atlantic Communications and Construction Services, a unit of the New York-based telephone company, has 3,500 workers to wire homes and install the IBM home-networking equipment to connect PCs, TVs and VCRs.

IBM has deals with home builders elsewhere, but Tuesday's is its biggest. Bell Atlantic officials said they expect to network about 15,000 homes on the East Coast this year, up from 2,000 last year, when Bell Atlantic used only its own home-networking equipment.

"This gives us a huge increase in coverage," said IBM spokesman Andrew Hayden.

Other manufacturers sell networking hubs in stores, but IBM is focusing on pre-installing the devices in homes. One reason is its pricey home management system needs to be installed by on-site technicians. Also, homeowners are less likely to put in the equipment after they buy a house, due to the expense and trouble of changing existing wiring.